This invention is directed to patient ventilation apparatus and, more particularly, to an aspirating device suitable for use in a patient ventilation apparatus to remove fluid accumulations from the trachea and bronchi of a patient during resuscitation.
Various mechanical apparatus for ventilating a patient have been proposed and are in use. These apparatus range from simple endotracheal tubes adapted to prevent physical contact between a rescuer and a victim during mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to relatively complicated mechanical systems adapted to provide a flow of oxygenated air to a victim through a coupling mechanism. The coupling mechanism may include a nasal mask, an oral mask, a nasal and oral mask, or a tracheal connector fitted to the victim's trachea during a tracheostomy. While such apparatus have been proved to be satisfactory for ventilation purposes, the majority of such apparatus presently in use have a major disadvantage. Specifically, during patient ventilation, fluids frequently collect in the trachea and bronchi. These fluids can occlude the trachea and thus inhibit ventilation. In order to remove the occlusion, it is necessary for the fluids to be aspirated. In the past, aspiration has been performed by removing the ventilation apparatus and inserting into the trachea a suitable catheter tube connected to a vacuum source. The vacuum then sucks the fluid from the trachea and bronchi. Thereafter, the ventilation apparatus is reattached to the patient and ventilation is resumed.
The primary disadvantage of the foregoing procedure is the likelihood that the patient will enter one or another of several undesirable states when the respiratory support apparatus is removed. Among these states are hypoxia, hypoventilation, and hypercapnia. Moreover, the patient has a predisposition to cardiac arrhythmias, extreme discomfort and dyspnea.
Another disadvantage of the foregoing procedure relates to the aspirating device used. Many such devices are produced so as to be disposable and are provided sterile in a sealed container. Because of their nature and construction, they are only suitable for a single use. Thus, if several successive aspirating operations--spaced between ventilation--are necessary, several such devices must be used because each rapidly becomes unsterile after it is removed from the patient. Obviously, the necessity to use multiple devices is more expensive than desired.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved aspirating device suitable for use with ventilating apparatus.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an aspirating device that allows a catheter tube to be repeatedly inserted and removed from the trachea of a patient without it being contaminated by outside sources.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide an aspirating device which is readily, rapidly inserted into the trachea of a patient without requiring the removal of an associated ventilating apparatus.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a disposable cartridge suitable for use in an aspirating device, said cartridge being suitable for repeated use by a single patient.